Brassiere and injection molded components therefor

ABSTRACT

An injection molded component for incorporation with other components to form a padded brassiere. The component comprises an injection molded material unitarily defining two breast cups and a bridge connecting the two breast cups. At each breast cup the molded material varies in thickness to define a pad-like formation for the brassiere.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a brassiere and injection moldedcomponents therefor.

BACKGROUND TO THE INVENTION

Various types of brassieres (hereinafter referred to as “bras”) areknown. Bras are typically made from multiple components and may be madefrom moldable precursor fabric and foam plies. These multiple componentsmay be laminated, with or without adhesives, heat molded and trimmed toform the appropriate and desired shape. Further stitching may at timesbe needed to connect different portions of the bra. Foam pads may beprovided for extra support and rigidity. Besides offering extra padding,foam pads in the cup regions also offer improved modesty.

Manufacturing methods associated with the above-described bras requirevarious processes and handling steps to produce the finished product.Such manufacturing methods may be time-consuming and costly.

If a foam pad is provided in a bra, there may be difficulty incontrolling the thickness of foam during manufacture. A precursor panelof foam is usually subjected to compression forming to introduce a cupshape into the pad. The forming will also usually result in a variationof the thickness of the foam pad so formed. After the compressionforming of the foam pad, the foam might recover towards it originalshape or in an unpredictable and undesired way and the resultant bra maybe of a shape that is unpredictable, undesirable and/or not repeatablefrom bra to bra so manufactured.

Accordingly it is an object of the present invention to provide a brathat can be manufactured more simply or which will at least provide thepublic with a useful choice.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In a first aspect the present invention consists in an injection moldedcomponent for incorporation with other components to form a paddedbrassiere, said component comprising an injection molded materialunitarily defining two breast cups and a bridge connecting the twobreast cups wherein at each breast cup the molded material varies inthickness to define a pad like formation for said brassiere.

Preferably said material is latex.

Preferably said material includes latex.

Preferably said material includes latex and a stabilising agent.

Preferably a precursor to said material is a liquid latex.

Preferably said material includes a coloring agent.

Preferably at each breast cup the variation in thickness defines thegreatest thickness at a centrally located zone of the breast cup andwith gradual reduction in thickness from the zone towards the peripheryof the breast cup.

Preferably said component consists of said injection molded material andat least one layer of other material.

Preferably said at least one layer of other material is injection moldedlatex.

Preferably said at least one layer of other material is a ply of fabriclaminated to said injection molded material.

Preferably said injection molded material is captured between twocovering plies.

Preferably said covering plies are fabric plies.

Preferably said covering plies are fabric plies laminated to saidinjection molded material.

Preferably said at least one layer of other material is a reinforcingweb extending across said bridge.

Preferably said reinforcing material is of a unidirectionallysubstantially non-stretchable material.

Preferably said substantially non-stretchable material is gauze.

Preferably said substantially non-stretchable material is a plasticfilm.

Preferably said reinforcing material is embedded in said injectionmolded material.

Preferably shoulder straps and/or clasps are attached to the moldedbrassiere component.

Preferably said injection molded material defines at least part of chestband wings.

Preferably said injection molded material defines at least part ofshoulder straps.

Preferably an underwire structure is embedded in said injection moldedmaterial contiguous each cup.

Preferably at least one of the inner and outer surfaces of saidinjection molded material is to define at least part of the exposedsurfaces of said brassiere.

Preferably at least one of an embossing, an aperture and a recess isdefined at said exposed surfaces of said brassiere.

Preferably said injection molded material is defined by a liquidinjection molding process.

Preferably said layer is unitary and homogenous.

In a second aspect the present invention consists in a molded brassierecomponent manufactured in a single injection molding process.

In a third aspect the present invention consists in a component of abrassiere comprising a unitary layer of injection molded materialdefining two breast cups and a bridge portion therebetween, thecomponent at each breast cup being of a varying thickness to define apad like structure.

In a fourth aspect the present invention consists in a brassiere thatincludes the component as described with reference to the first aspectof the invention.

Preferably shoulder straps are engaged to said component.

Preferably said component comprises two different injection moldedmaterial compositions co-molded to each other, each material compositionoffering a different characteristic to the other.

Preferably said different characteristic relates to different colors.

Preferably said different characteristic relates to different strengthproperties.

Preferably said different characteristic relates to different textures.

In a fifth aspect the present invention consists in a garment thatincludes the component as described with reference to the first aspectof the invention.

In a sixth aspect the present invention consists in a method ofproducing a brassiere or a brassiere component comprising the steps of:

-   -   (i) injecting a moldable and settable material into a mold that        defines a cavity with opposed walls for forming the concave and        convex sides of two breast cups and a bridge extending between        said breast cups wherein the opposed walls at each of the breast        cups are of varying separation from each other;    -   (ii) allowing the material to set in the mold;    -   (iii) ejecting the set material from the mold; and    -   (iv) repeating steps (i) to (iii) cyclically.

Preferably the mold is preheated prior to step (i).

Preferably the material is a heat curable material.

Preferably the material includes latex.

Preferably prior to ejection, the injected settable material ispositioned in a mold cavity that includes space for the injection of asecond material to be affixed to the settable material.

Preferably prior to injecting the moldable and settable material intothe mold, a ply of material is introduced into the mold, said ply ofmaterial is to be embedded into the settable material.

This invention may also be said broadly to consist in the parts,elements and features referred to or indicated in the specification ofthe application, individually or collectively, and any or allcombinations of any two or more of said parts, elements or features, andwhere specific integers are mentioned herein which have knownequivalents in the art to which this invention relates, such knownequivalents are deemed to be incorporated herein as if individually setforth.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described by way of example only and withreference to the drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side view of a mold used to produce a bra of the presentinvention;

FIG. 2 is a side view of the mold of FIG. 1 in use;

FIG. 3 is a front view of a bra illustrating embossed patterns;

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a preferred embodiment of the bra;

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an alternative embodiment of thebra;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of another alternative embodiment ofthe bra;

FIG. 7 is a front view of the bra illustrating a reinforcing web at thebridge of the bra between the breast cups; and

FIG. 8 is a front view of a single breast cup.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the most preferred embodiment, the bra 6 as for example shown in FIG.3 is made by having all or the majority of it made by injection moldingof latex.

Latex, harvested from for example the rubber tree may be used for theinjection molding process. Processing of raw latex may occur to increaseits elasticity and strength. Additives such as ammonia may be added topreserve the latex. Anti-coagulants may be added to prevent the latexfrom coagulating prior to injection molding. Flame-retardants may alsobe added. Latex is naturally translucent and may be color dyed by theaddition of color additives. Latex is the preferred material but othersuitable rubber or similar materials may also be used.

The latex in its precursor form may be conditioned as desired to allowit to be injection molded such as by liquid injection molding.

FIG. 1 shows a cross section of a mold 1 in an open position that may beused in the injection molding of a bra of the present invention. Themold 1 consists of two parts, a first mold 2 and a second mold 3. Whenthe mold 1 is closed and clamped under pressure as shown in FIG. 2, thefirst mold 2 and the second mold 3 defines a hollow cavity therebetween.Latex may be injected to fill the mold cavity to form a bra orcomponents for a bra. Latex is introduced into the hollow space throughrunners 4. Though two runners are shown in FIG. 2, one or more runnersmay be used. The runners 4 are positioned at an unobtrusive or obscurepart of the bra so that any indication of molding flash is minimised.Vents or outlets 5 may be provided for the release of excess latex.

The injection molding process occurs cyclically. Cycle times arecontrolled by the curing time of the latex. Pumping systems can deliverthe liquid latex to the mold that may be pre or post heated. The liquidlatex is injected directly into the heated mold. Molding and curingtakes place inside the heated mold cavity. Typically, latex is able tocure at room temperature. Thus, temperatures above room temperature andpressures above atmospheric pressures will accelerate the curing. Afterthe latex is cured, the mold opens and the bra is ejected from the mold.The mold then closes again and the entire process may be repeated.

Injection molding allows accurate control of the thickness, shape andsize of the resultant product. Injection molding also offers highproduction rates, design flexibility, repeatability within tolerances,low labour and minimum scrap losses. An injection-molded bra may also beproduced in a single piece with no lamination required.

FIG. 3 shows an injection-molded bra 6 or part of a bra. Injectionmolding also allows embossing or patterns 7, branding 8 and/or logo ofthe manufacturer to be conveniently and accurately defined by definingsuch features in the molds.

FIG. 4 shows a cross-sectional view of an injection-molded bra 6. Thethickness of the material 9, in this case latex, can be variable acrossthe area of the bra. The thickness of the bra is determined accuratelyby the mold design. Being able to control the thickness of the bra meansthat reinforcement and tensile strength can be accurately controlled andrepeated at where it is needed. For example, if extra padding isrequired, the thickness of the cup areas may be increased.

Other than controlling the thickness, injection molding also providesthe flexibility of injecting two dissimilar materials to form a twolayer bra. FIG. 5 shows a cross-sectional view of part of a bra with twolayers 9 and 10. This may be achieved by first molding the first layerbetween a first and a second mold that defines a cavity of a shape andsize of the first layer, where upon curing or partial curing of thefirst layer, a third mold portion may substitute the second mold portionto define a cavity between the first layer and the third mold portioninto which the second layer may be injected. Where the first layer is ina partially cured state, the injection of material to define the secondlayer may create a stronger bond between layers through there being apartial fusion of material at their interface. Alternatively, layers 9and 10 could be the same material but with two different colours. Thelayers may be coextensive.

FIG. 6 shows another cross-sectional view of a bra with two differentmaterials and/or colours. In this bra, layer 11 only covers a partiallayer of the bra at the chest band and not the entire bra.

FIG. 7 illustrates a reinforcing web or material 12 that may be providedat the bridge of the bra 6 between breast cups. The reinforcing material12 is preferably unidirectionally substantially non-stretchable, i.e.the reinforcing material 12 is substantially non-stretchable in thecup-to-cup direction but may be relatively stretchable in otherdirections. The reinforcing material 12 may be provided to offeradditional tensile strength between the cups. The bridge region requiresreinforcement because the tensile force pulling the bra cups apart inthe cup-to-cup direction can be high. The reinforcing material 12 may,for example, be of a substantially non-stretchable plastic film orgauze. The reinforcing material 12 may be embedded into the latex bra 6or latex bra component at the time of molding. This may occur by placingthe reinforcing material in the mold before the latex is injected. Thereinforcing material 12 may also be laminated by heat and/or pressureand/or adhesive after the latex bra 6 is molded.

The reinforcing material 12 may also be introduced to be embedded intothe latex bra component or bra or be placed on one side of the latex bracomponent or bra by injection molding of the reinforcing material suchas by the process as described above in relation to FIGS. 5 and 6. Thereinforcing material may be an injection moldable material that, whencured, has the desired strength characteristics.

The reinforcing material may be provided at any location of the latexbra or latex bra component where it may provide additional strength. Infact it may be provided over a substantial portion or even the whole ofthe latex bra or bra component.

There may also be included an embedded underwire assembly at or near thelower periphery of a or each cup to provide further support. Theunderwire assembly may comprise a wire or strip of metal or plasticencased in a sock made of for example fabric. Similar to the reinforcingmaterial 12, the underwire assembly may be embedded into the latex bracomponent or bra at the time of molding.

The injection-molded bra 6 may be the finished product with minimalstitching to add on the shoulder straps 61 and clasps 62. The shoulderstraps 61 and clasps 62 may also be added on by stitching or byultrasonic welding or other suitable method. Alternatively, the or partsof the shoulder straps may become fastened during injection molding ormay be unitary with the rest of the bra. This may, however, beundesirable as the shoulder straps may not be adjustable.

The bra may position clasps 62 so that the bra is either back opening orfront opening. The back clasps may be positioned on the chest straps.The front clasps may be positioned at the bridge area between the cups.Different molds may be made for different designs of bra.

Where reference herein is made to an injection molded bra or the like itis to be understood to mean that the entire bra may be made by injectionmolding or a substantial part is made by injection molding whereincomponents such as shoulder straps and clasps may be separately formed,or that parts of the bra such as the breast cups or components withinthe breast cups are made by injection molding. Also such injectionmolded bra or bra components may be used in conjunction with plies offabric and/or foam to be laminated therewith in a process as for exampledescribed in U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/479,572 which is herebyincorporated by way of reference.

Further processing of the injection molded bra 6 is also possible. Theinjection-molded bra 6 may also be used as an injection-molded bra core.Layers of fabric and/or foam may be added to envelope the bra core.Fabric and/or foam may be added on the inner side, or on the outer side,or both. There may be one or more plies of fabric and/or foam on theinner and outer layer. Addition of fabric layers offers the flexibilityof adding fabric patterns, which may not be achieved by embossing.Fabric and/or foam layers may also offer comfort to the wearer. Thefabric and/or foam layers may be laminated by heat and/or pressureand/or adhesive after the bra core is injection-molded. Subsequently,shoulder straps and clasps may be added. In this regard, we again referto U.S. application Ser. No. 11/479,572 by way of reference, with thefoam bra core described therein substituted by an injection-molded bracore.

Where reference herein is made to inward and outward or similarterminology, it is meant to be understood to be in relation to the bodyof the wearer of the bra. For example the “innermost” or “inward” or“inner side” or “inner region” is the face side of the bra that is moreproximate to the body of the wearer than the more outward portions ofthe bra or its components or subassemblies.

The injection-molded bra core may also be manufactured as a single cup13 as shown in FIG. 8. Additional fabric and/or foam layers may belaminated as described above to define other parts of the bra.

Though the invention has been described with reference to a bra, it mayalso be used in the manufacture of a bikini, swim wear, or incorporatedas part of a dress.

It is to be understood that the scope of the invention is not limited tothe described embodiments and therefore numerous variations andmodifications may be made to these embodiments without departing fromthe scope of the invention as set out in the claims.

1. An injection molded component for incorporation with other componentsto form a padded brassiere said component comprising an injection moldedmaterial unitarily defining two breast cups and a bridge connecting thetwo breast cups wherein at each breast cup the molded material varies inthickness to define a pad like formation for said brassiere
 2. A moldedbrassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein the material is latex.3. A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein thematerial includes latex.
 4. A molded brassiere component as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the material includes latex and a stabilising agent. 5.A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein a precursorto the material is a liquid latex.
 6. A molded brassiere component asclaimed in claim 1 wherein the material includes a coloring agent.
 7. Amolded brassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein at each breastcup the variation in thickness defines the greatest thickness at acentrally located zone of the breast cup and with gradual reduction inthickness from the zone towards the periphery of the breast cup.
 8. Amolded brassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein the componentconsists of said injection molded material and at least one layer ofother material.
 9. A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim 8wherein the at least one layer of other material is injection moldedlatex.
 10. A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim 8 whereinthe at least one layer of other material is a ply of fabric laminated tothe injection molded material.
 11. A molded bra component as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the injection molded material is captured between twocovering plies.
 12. A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim 11wherein the two covering plies are fabric plies.
 13. A molded brassierecomponent as claimed in claim 11 wherein the two covering plies arefabric plies laminated to the injection molded material.
 14. A moldedbrassiere component as claimed in claim 8 wherein the at least one layerof other material is a reinforcing web extending across the bridgeregion of the brassiere component.
 15. A molded brassiere component asclaimed in claim 14 wherein the reinforcing web is of a unidirectionallysubstantially non-stretchable material.
 16. A molded brassiere componentas claimed in claim 15 wherein the substantially non-stretchablematerial is gauze.
 17. A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim15 wherein the substantially non-stretchable material is a plastic film.18. A molded brassiere component as claimed in claim 14 wherein thereinforcing web is embedded in said molded material.
 19. A moldedbrassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein shoulder straps and/orclasps are attached to the molded brassiere component.
 20. A moldedbrassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein the molded materialdefines also at least part, the chest band wings.
 21. A molded brassierecomponent as claimed in claim 1 wherein the molded material defines alsoat least part, the over the shoulder straps.
 22. A molded brassierecomponent as claimed in claim 1 wherein an underwire structure isembedded in molded material contiguous each cup.
 23. A molded brassierecomponent as claimed in claim 1 wherein at least one of the inner andouter surfaces of the molded material is to define at least part of theexposed surfaces of the brassiere.
 24. A molded brassiere component asclaimed in claim 23 wherein defined at the exposed surfaces of the atleast one of the inner and outer surfaces of the molded material is atleast one of an embossing and aperture and recess.
 25. A moldedbrassiere component as claimed in claim 1 wherein the molded material isdefined by a liquid injection molding process.
 26. A molded brassierecomponent as claimed in claim 1 wherein the layer is unitary andhomogenous.
 27. A molded brassiere component manufactured in a singleinjection molding process.
 28. A component of a bra assembly comprisinga unitary layer of injection molded material defining two breast cupsand a bridge portion therebetween, the component at each breast cupbeing of a varying thickness to define a pad like structure.
 29. Abrassiere that includes the component as claimed in claim
 1. 30. Abrassiere as claimed in claim 29 wherein over the shoulder straps areengaged to the component.
 31. A brassiere as claimed in claim 29 whereinthe component consists of two different injection molded materialcompositions co-molded to each other and that each offer a differentcharacteristic to the other.
 32. A brassiere as claimed in claim 31wherein the different characteristic relates to different colors.
 33. Abrassiere as claimed in claim 31 wherein the different characteristicrelates to different strength properties.
 34. A brassiere as claimed inclaim 31 wherein the different characteristic relates to differenttextures.
 35. A garment that includes the component as claimed inclaim
 1. 36. A method of producing a brassiere component comprising thesteps of: (i) injecting a moldable and settable material into a moldthat defines a cavity with opposed walls for forming the concave andconvex sides of two breast cups and a bridge extending between saidbreast cups wherein the opposed walls at each of the breast cups are ofvarying separation from each other (ii) allowing the material to set inthe mold, (iii) ejecting the set material from the mold, (iv) repeatingsteps (i) to (iii) cyclically.
 37. A method as claimed in claim 36wherein the mold is preheated prior to step (i).
 38. A method as claimedin claim 36 wherein the material is a heat curable material.
 39. Amethod as claimed in claim 36 wherein the material includes latex.
 40. Amethod as claimed in claim 36 wherein prior to ejection, the injectedsettable material is positioned in a mold cavity that includes space forthe injection of a second material to be affixed to the settablematerial.
 41. A method as claimed in claim 36 wherein prior to injectingthe moldable and settable material into the mold, a ply of material isintroduced into the mold that is to be embedded into the settablematerial.